Railways simply explained
Freight traffic at night
19. 06. 2024
When most people are asleep and stores are closed, the Rail Cargo Group (RCG) moves goods onto tracks. While it is quiet all around, there is a lot going on in freight transport.
The RCG operates 365 days a year, around the clock – even at night and on public holidays. Far fewer passenger trains are moving at that time and therefore more lines are available for freight transport. At night, freight trains roll along the tracks throughout Europe and as far as Asia – whether on maritime, continental and conventional TransFER connections, at Rolling Road terminals, border stations, loading points or ports.
What happens in the dark
Freight wagons are formed into trains at shunting yards before a final brake test is carried out and the train is prepared for departure. Freight wagons from single wagonload traffic come together at train formation points, are reformatted, put together and unloaded before they set off on their journey. It's shift change, employees start to work while others finish their night shift. Trains cross national borders, wait out line closures, cover miles and miles until they finally reach their destinations.
But see for yourself what happens on two RCG transports during a night shift:
Container train from Cologne to Trieste
9:19 p.m.
A container train from Cologne – operated by RCG colleagues from Germany – reaches the Austrian border near Liefering (between Salzburg and Freilassing) after a journey of over 14 hours. Its destination is the Italian port of Trieste.
9.35 p.m.
The first crew change takes place at the Salzburg Gnigl shunting yard. The train then continues through the Alps at night with a new driver on board.
11:12 p.m.
The next stop is in Schwarzach-St. Veit. There, the Taurus locomotive is swapped for a Vectron. The transport continues shortly before midnight.
1:32 a.m.
The Vectron locomotive arrives at Villach Westbahnhof on time. The driver's shift ends here and a new colleague takes over the driver's cab.
3:09 a.m.
At the border station Travisio Boscoverde, the Italian RCG colleagues receive the train and prepare it for the onward journey.
6:18 a.m.
The train has arrived in the Italian port city and is unloaded.
Mineral oil transport from Vienna to Genoa
2:07 a.m.
In Vienna Schwechat, a tank wagon train – loaded with 1,440 tons – was prepared for its journey to Genoa in Italy. The colleagues in Vienna hitched up a Taurus locomotive that will pull the goods across Austria. Now the train can set off.
3:52 a.m.
Before crossing the Semmering, the train stops for a stopover in Gloggnitz. There, a class 1144 traction unit is added to the train. The Semmering can thus be crossed with doubled power.
5:12 a.m.
After crossing the Semmering, the traction unit is parked again in Semmering Unterwerk and can be reused there for the next freight train to "climb the mountain". Our mineral oil transport now continues on to Styria.
6:05 a.m.
The first change of personnel takes place in Kapfenberg. The Viennese RCG colleague can finish his night shift and a new driver takes the train safely on to Carinthia.
9:56 a.m.
The second crew change takes place at Villach Westbahnhof. The train then starts the last leg of its journey.
11:21 a.m.
Before finally reaching the terminus in Genoa, there is one last change of staff and traction unit at the Italian border.
Freight traffic also continues in the morning and during the day until the wheel turns for the next night shift. That is how the flow of goods continues – because the Rail Cargo Group never sleeps.
